Shoe cleaning guard



March 2, l948. HCRCMN 2,436,953

SHOE CLEANING GUARD Filed Aug. 15, 1946 INVENTOR. HELEN CRONIN.

ATTOR EYS Patented Mar. 2, 1948 UNITED jsfi'A 'res PATENT OFFICE sHoEcLEAnrNqeuARo .yHelen Cr onin, Cincinnati, Ohio 7 w I Application August 13, 194e, ser1a1 No.-690,225 Y gorse-'42) 1 x 3 Claims.

This invention pertains to an improved shoe polishing and cleaningshield, and has, for one of its principal objects, the provision of means which can be readily attached to a shoe before polishing and cleaning the same whereby a better, quicker, and neater job is accomplished.

One of the important objects of this invention is the provision of a shoe cleaning guard which can be readily positioned in place between the upper and the sole and heel portion of a shoe whereby the soles and heels are shielded when the uppers are being cleaned and polished, and whereby the uppers are shielded when the soles and heels are being cleaned and polished.

Still another object is to provide a shoe cleaning guard which may be readily slipped over the upper of the shoe and positioned between the shoe upper and the sole and which may be turned downwardly over the soles for cleaning' the uppers of the shoes and which may be moved upwardly to expose the sole for cleaning.

A further important object of the invention lies in the provision of a shoe polishing or cleaning shield which can be readily adjusted to fit substantially any size and shape of shoe which, after being so adjusted, will be securely held in desired position while the polishing or cleaning operation is being performed.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a shoe showing the shoe guard attached for cleaning and polishing the upper of the shoe.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the toe portion of the shoe shown in Figure 1 with the shoe guard attached for cleaning and polishing the upper.

Figure ,3 is another side view of the shoe shown with the shoe guard attached for exposing the sole to cleaning and polishing.

Figure 4 is a view end elevation of the toe portion of the shoe with the guard in position exposing the sole and covering the toe portion of the upper.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the elastic shoe guard shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 when removed from the shoe.

As illustrative of one embodiment of this invention, there is shown in Figure 1 a shoe having an upper U and a sole S to which the shoe guard, Figure 5, comprisingan elastic band of material l5 is applied. This elastic band l5 has a centrally located hole l6 formed in the elastic material which is shaped substantially to that of an average shoe sole. Preferably, the portions I] and 18 are provided with stiffening portionswhere the .shoe. guardengages the sole and up-.

per at the instep of the shoe so as to maintain proper contact of the shoe guard around the shoe.

In Figure 1, the shoe guard I5 is shown placed over the shoe sole and fitting into the notch l9 formed between the upper and sole of the shoe. In this case, the shoe guard l 5 is shown stretched down over the sole S so as to protect it and permit cleaning and polishing of the upper portion U of the shoe without in any way soiling the sole during this operation. After the upper has been appropriately cleaned and polished, the shoe guard is then folded back over the upper U, as

r shown best in Figures 3 and 4, so as to expose the sole S for cleaning and polishing. In this position, the shoe guard l5 fully protects the upper of the shoe so that the sole may be readily treated without in any way soiling the upper which has been previously cleaned. After the polishing operations have been thus completed on the upper and the sole, the guard is simply stretched off of the shoe and the job is done in a neat and eflicient manner.

There has thus been provided an improved shoe cleaning guard adapted to at one time protect the sole while cleaning and polishing the upper and which may be readily and quickly readjusted to allow the exposure of the sole for cleaning and polishing while protecting the upper of the shoe.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and decribed constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangements and commercial adaptations as fall within the scope of the appendant claims are intended to be included here- Having thus fully set forth and described this invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A shoe cleaning guard comprising an elastic sheet of material formed with a central opening having approximately the shape of a complete shoe sole, said opening including communicating recesses, one of said recesses being adapted to receive the forward main portion of said sole while the other recess is adapted to receive the heel portion of said sole, whereby said sheet may be stretched over a shoe and positioned adjacent the connection of the upper with the sole to at 3 one time form a guard for the sole while cleaning the upper and to at another time form a guard for the upper while exposing the edge and top of the sole for cleaning. a

2. A shoe cleaning guard comprising an elastic sheet of material, a central opening formed in said sheet for placement of said sheet over a shoe adjacent the juncture of the sole and upper thereof, rigidifying members adjacent said openm to stiifiea ai uarqi i em. h instep n r,- tions i aishio en? a amfi n qe i w; said sho f'saidgu'ard being adapted to befolded over said sole to guard the same while cleaning the upper of the shoe and to be folded back over the upper when cleaning the sole of saidf'is'l'ioje. 3. A shoe cleaning guard comprising an cla s; tic sheet 01 material, a reduced siierf'operiiiig formed in said sheet when unstretcheihpying;

substantially the shape of a shoe sole, stiffening,

to shield the sole while cleaning the upper and for shielding the upper while cleaning the sole of said shoe.

HELEN CRONIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Af :E.; 3e' IEwe dumbe N Date 1,124,328 Plant Jan. 12, 1915 1,126,314 Swanton Jan. 26, 1915 l, i 38,9"7i l Cavanagh Dec. 19, 1922 1,830314' Kinney Nov, 3, 1931 2,QZ,8.5,I Mayer Jan. 12, 1937 2,259,450 Bazzoni Oct. 21, 1941 2,261,102 Becker Nov. 4, 1941 2. ,,3'Z 5' Thum June 12, 1945 FOREIGN, PATENTS lflumber Country Date 142 Pa e" vz'ieriw 

